Emily Nielsen
Glen Allen,VA
Summary
Supply chain professional with strong background in managing complex projects and driving operational excellence. Known for collaborative approach and commitment to delivering high-quality results. Dependable and adaptable, consistently meeting changing demands of business. Established professional history in retail, consumer packaged goods, and food manufacturing environments. Proven skills in strategic planning and site leadership.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Manager - Supply & Materials Management
PepsiCo - Sabra Hummus
Richmond, VA
04.2024 - Current
- Full ownership and execution of global inbound supply chain including agricultural commodities, ingredients, and packaging
- Identified opportunities for process improvement and cost savings through data analysis, resulting in increased operational efficiency of ~$1.5 million
- Developed and executed launch plan for over 10 new products to shelf on time and within budget
- Highly skilled in all consumer packaged goods (CPG/FMCG) manufacturing related tasks, including procurement, site leadership, receiving management, transportation strategy, inventory management, and labor allocation
- Established strong relationships with clients and stakeholders, ensuring long-term partnerships and repeat business
- Improved team performance by providing comprehensive training and fostering a collaborative work environment for 3 salaried employees
- Championed procurement best practices throughout the organization by providing support to stakeholders in areas such as contract management, supplier selection, or risk mitigation.
Critical Material Supply Lead
PepsiCo - Sabra Hummus
Colonial Heights, VA
04.2021 - 04.2024
- -Execute inbound supply chain objectives for assigned portfolio of goods
- Heavy co-manufacturing focus; working daily with other external food manufacturing partners to produce both WIP inputs and finished goods product for Sabra
- Successfully managed other non co-man portfolios as needed including packaging & ingredients
- Ensure raw material availability at co-manufacturing vendors supports long term forecast, identifying any gaps ahead of material outages
- Lead regularly scheduled reviews between Sabra and all assigned vendors to ensure all parties are supported in regards to current priorities
- Assisted Director of Strategic Sourcing & legal with supply agreement review for critical partners
- Display excellent project management & project execution skills, taking multiple high visibility projects from concept to execution including brand refresh efforts, regulatory changes, and innovation initiatives
- Highly skilled collaborator, working constantly with other Sabra teams to ensure the highest level of quality in our raw materials, finished goods, and innovation sectors
- Oversee vendor discount payment term program, collaborating with finance partners to establish a plan that supports Sabra's long & short term financial goals
- Reduced material waste through close monitoring of stock levels and proactive ordering strategies.
Co-Founder & Chief Operations Officer, Instructor
10 Kicks Muay Thai
Richmond, VA
07.2020 - Current
- Oversee & manage all operations related tasks including developing annual operating plans, program design, long term & short term financial analysis, and fight promotion analysis & scheduling
- Designed initial 10 Kicks business plan alongside co-founder in 2019
- Thoughtfully created membership cost structure, leading to a valuation of the business that marries appropriate levels profitability for the business and affordability for the students
- Worked to build student base in a temporary location in order to grow cash reserves to a position to support opening permanent space
- Sourced & evaluated multiple real estate options for permanent gym locations in Q1 of 2022
- Skillfully negotiated the terms of business lease & unit takeover with real estate agent and building owner, minimizing overall cost by 15% over 3 years
- Execute monthly financial health analysis with co-founder, adjusting cash flow priorities when necessary
- Design & teach classes weekly, focusing on exciting Muay Thai techniques that are applicable to all skill & fitness levels
- Fully responsible for creating & executing our “4 Week On-Ramp Program” for new athletes to get comfortable with the sport
- Successfully converted 70% of temporary On-Ramp students to full time students in 2022-2025
Adjunct Professor
VCU School Of Supply Chain Management & Analytics
Richmond, VA
07.2021 - 12.2021
- Instructed 50 Junior & Senior level University students in a required course named “Quantitative Solutions for Supply Chain Management”
- Developed & executed a highly analytical supply chain focused curriculum, aiming to blend data analytics with real world supply chain inputs
- Main components of curriculum regarded utilizing the Data Analysis & Solver toolkits in Microsoft Excel to complete coursework regarding make vs buy analysis, transportation analysis, financial analysis, and network design
- Delivered 75 minute lectures twice a week in accordance with course objectives, held additional office hours weekly to further support the student body
- Personally designed & delivered all homework assignments, mid-term exam, and final exam details
- Evaluated student coursework in accordance with VCU requirements, providing efficient feedback to the students to further their success
- Course evaluation data reflected incredibly positive student opinion of my teaching style, course material, fairness, and outside engagement with my students
Senior TL: Customization & Samples
PepsiCo - Sabra Hummus
Colonial Heights
02.2020 - 04.2021
- Launched a brand new business unit for Sabra called "Customization" focused on boutique packing activities for customers such as Costco, Walmart, and BJs
- Directed a team of 20-30 employees to execute weekly production goals for all SKUs
- Maintained full oversight of SKU planning and production scheduling in the Customization Center
- Responsible for maintaining weekly planning schedule using SAP system
- Work collaboratively with operations and shipping to ensure timely delivery of all customization items to customers
- Oversee “Customization 2.0” engineering project alongside the Logistics Manager to source, purchase, and install new equipment in order to enhance department productivity
- Used multiple analytical tools in both Excel and SAP to identify department trends and track productivity metrics
- Developed initial labor cost for company P&L statements for all new items
- Participate in the development of all customization SKUs from initial R&D concept to first customer shipment
Senior TL: Shipping, Samples, & Productivity
PepsiCo - Sabra Hummus
Colonial Heights, VA
05.2018 - 02.2020
- Empower the finished goods team to fully execute the shipping schedule by setting and maintaining reasonable transportation appointments
- Adjust & maintain staffing levels that allow the department to hit budget while hitting all KPI targets resulting in on time delivery of over 98%
- Lead and develop a team of 4 yard jockeys to maintain quality & safety standards on the Sabra yard at all times
- Super-User of PINC Yard Management
- Fully oversee the Sabra Samples program, including management of Samples Coordinator
- Work with R&D, Sales, and Marketing to ensure samples delivery to our sales force exceeds expectations and delights both current and potential customers
Direct to Consumer Manager
The Vitamin Shoppe
Ashland, VA
03.2017 - 05.2018
- Direct oversight of all E-Commerce operations for eastern United States
- Assisted with set up of Manhattan WMS for division launch, becoming a super-user of the system
- Led a team of approximately 20 highly skilled individuals in the execution of all Direct to Consumer tasks
- Manage inbound and outbound operations to meet demand for all online customers
- Managed all department KPIs such as productivity, safety, labor cost, 5s, order fulfillment, and on time delivery
- Executed cost savings & productivity projects with estimated results of $250,000
- Drove customer order fill rate to 99%
Outbound Manager
The Vitamin Shoppe
Ashland, VA
07.2016 - 03.2017
- Manage outbound operations to meet demand for retail store fulfillment
- Developed quality and productivity tracking tools for building wide use
- Oversaw 100 employees in picking & packing operations over multiple shifts
- Manage daily KPIs for productivity, safety, labor cost, and 5S
- Review and evaluate performance of all distribution center functions
- Address performance gaps and take corrective action as needed
Senior Supply Chain Consultant
EnVista
Carmel, IN
03.2013 - 07.2016
- Expert in labor standards development for food & beverage and retail supply chains
- Oversaw two multi-year, multi-site LMS roll outs for PepsiCo and Nestle Purina using NextView LMS and Encompass LMS systems
- Worked with leaders in Retail, Food & Beverage, and E-Commerce industries to develop labor standards and install various Labor Management Systems (LMS) software
- Designed and led Change Management & Software training courses for each client as they progressed through LMS implementations.
- Identified high ROI opportunities and developed business cases for clients considering LMS investments
- Used skills from Lean Six Sigma Green Belt to participate in many Lean initiatives covering a wide variety of warehouse activities
- Participated in Kaizen Blitz events across our customer network along with our LSS Black Belt
Operations Area Manager
Amazon
Allentown, PA
08.2012 - 03.2013
- Leader of a shift consisting of 65-100 associates who were coached to meet daily productivity goals
- Allocated the precious resource of time during the shift to ensure all customer orders were shipped and delivered on the date promised
- Drove several time & cost savings projects that helped improve customer experience valued at ~$300,000
- Insisted on the highest safety standards and helped to drive one of the lowest building safety incident rates in the network
- Navigated the inner workings of an Amazon Distribution Center during the holidays when both volume and the workforce doubled, resulting in 0 missed shipments to customers
Supply Chain & Operations Intern
EnVista
Carmel, IN
05.2011 - 08.2011
- Focused on process improvement, network design, and software selection
- Personal projects included The Men's Wearhouse—Houston, Sears Automotive—Chicago, and Columbia Sportswear—Portland
- Facilitated workshops and meetings along with a team of other employees
- Led several meetings with high level Columbia Sportswear executives during the information gathering stage of the project
- Managed, planned, and executed multiple team calls with Columbia's international distribution centers
Education
MBA - Masters of Business Administration
University of Illinois
Champaign, IL05.2021
Bachelor of Science - Industrial Distribution
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX05.2012
Skills
- Supplier relationship management
- Demand forecasting
- Supply chain optimization
- Category management
- Inventory management
- Training and mentoring
- SAP
- MRP
- Office Suite
Certification
Lean Six Sigma - Green Belt
Kaizen Project Leader
Timeline
Senior Manager - Supply & Materials Management
PepsiCo - Sabra Hummus
04.2024 - Current
Adjunct Professor
VCU School Of Supply Chain Management & Analytics
07.2021 - 12.2021
Critical Material Supply Lead
PepsiCo - Sabra Hummus
04.2021 - 04.2024
Co-Founder & Chief Operations Officer, Instructor
10 Kicks Muay Thai
07.2020 - Current
Senior TL: Customization & Samples
PepsiCo - Sabra Hummus
02.2020 - 04.2021
Senior TL: Shipping, Samples, & Productivity
PepsiCo - Sabra Hummus
05.2018 - 02.2020
Direct to Consumer Manager
The Vitamin Shoppe
03.2017 - 05.2018
Outbound Manager
The Vitamin Shoppe
07.2016 - 03.2017
Senior Supply Chain Consultant
EnVista
03.2013 - 07.2016
Operations Area Manager
Amazon
08.2012 - 03.2013
Supply Chain & Operations Intern
EnVista
05.2011 - 08.2011
MBA - Masters of Business Administration
University of Illinois
Bachelor of Science - Industrial Distribution
Texas A&M University